Return
by rockstarjess
Summary: She's back, but different. But where did she go and what happened to her? The sequal to Unexpected.
1. Pain

**Pain**

"NO! Let me go! I don't want to go through this again." She cried. Tears of pain spilling down her eyes. They put the green kryptonite closer to her and she yelled in pain. She was weaker than Clark so it hurt her more since she was only half Kryptonian. "No! Please just stop." A man in a dark suite walked in. "Stop. You're hurting her. I don't need her hurt. I need her in good condition."

She looked over at him. Everything was worse for her since she was half Kryptonian. She felt more pain and it killed her faster. She was weak on both sides. Her human half and her Kryptonian and she knew it. She couldn't stand being in that place anymore. They were literally killing her on the inside. A day didn't pass where she didn't cry. A day where she wished she wasn't alive for the next "treatment" as they called it. She hated it with all her will to live.

Lex walked closer to her. She looked at him whimpering and winced in pain once again. He stood next to her. The strong metal bands around her wrists and ankles to keep her down on the medical bed. She looked up at him and to her his eyes were blank. Full of evil and hatred. She thought of him as the devil himself. He looked down at her and with the back of his hand ran it along her forehead. It was full of sweat from the electric shocks they had given her.

"What have you discovered doctor?" He asked keeping his eyes settled on her, watching as she moved her head to try to get him to take his hand off her. "Well, she's stronger than any human on earth. A few things we do to her seem regular reactions a human would give but some things that we do aren't. We did what you asked and put green meteor rock close to her and she shrieked in pain. We didn't understand why."

He showed Lex their observations that they had written down on a clipboard and he ignored them. "I want you to show me doctor." He took a few steps away from Lara and she looked at him. "Doctor put the meteor rock close to her." The doctor looked at Lara and she was shaking her head. Tears once again filled her eyes. She couldn't bare the pain again. Her hands made fists and prepared herself for the inflicting pain that they were about to give her.

The doctor put on his gloves and grabbed a green meteor rock then walked towards her with it. She could already feel it and her veins started to pop out from her neck and arms. The red veins in her eyes came out as well. She threw her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs in pain. Lex stood there and watched her suffer. The doctor looked at him and Lex motioned for him to take it away. Once the doctor left she went back to normal. He nodded on the new discovery they had made. "Good job doctor. Now leave us." The doctor nodded and he walked out of the cell they had made for her. He looked through the glass walls and saw Lex move closer to Lara. He saw him lean over to whisper something to her and stood there for a moment. Lex looked at him and with his hand motioned for him to leave. The doctor nodded and left.


	2. Agree

**Agree**

During the whole time she was there Lex would go visit Lara frequently. He didn't care much about the other "patients" anymore.

That morning Lex went to a meeting to greet new investors to Luthor Corp. In the middle of the meeting, while they were talking about how they were going to invest their money into the company one of the secretaries walked in and went straight to him and told him that there was a matter he needed to attend to. He knew what it was about and left the investors without saying goodbye.

"What happened?" Lex stormed into the lab and went straight to Lara's cell. "Lex…"One of the doctors exclaimed. "She tried to escape so we put green meteor rocks around her because we knew that was one of the only things that could stop her from running out and while she was kneeling someone hit her over the head with a metal bar. She's in her bed now strapped up."

Lex walked over to her and looked down at her. He let out a sigh and felt annoyed and impatient. "I want him fired this instant. Didn't I say she wasn't to be hurt too badly. What if something goes wrong and she looses some memory. He's fired." The doctor nodded, "Yes sir." He walked out and went to fire the man who was a specialist in his field. One of the best in the nation, but when Lex says someone's gone, they're gone.

Lex leaned over to her and watched her. Eyes closed and she seemed to be fast asleep. But he knew her by now. After six months of observing her he knew when she was asleep and when she was really hurting. "Why do you want to escape me? Don't you know by now that you can't? It's been six months and no one has found you or have they filed a missing persons report. Do you think they care? They don't." She turned her head and had her eyes open but didn't say a word.

Lex smirked and walked around her bed. "Have you given any thought to what I purposed to you the other day?" She still didn't face him and he got impatient with her. "Look at me when I'm talking to you. You may be strong but I have the power here." She looked at him and said in a high voice, "No, okay my final answer is no." Lex walked closer to her, "You know I can make your life a living hell in here. Do you want to be stuck in here everyday until the day you waste away? Not going out anymore? Not living? If that's what you want then fine. I can just leave you here and keep doing tests on you."  
She didn't' want to suffer that pain anymore. Not that type of pain. It hurt her badly and she hated it. She had missed him too, she missed Clark. Just maybe if she agreed he would give her some freedom. Just maybe. But how could she let him have her like that. How could she give up her whole existence to be a part of this war that he wanted her for. She wasn't made for that.

She looked down at her metal wrist bands and then looked at him, "Do you think you could take them off?" He looked at her, "Will you run off?" She shook her head no. "Do you promise?" She nodded yes. He ordered a doctor in to take the bands from her wrists off and she just sat there. "Okay Lex. I agree." Lex nodded and didn't show any emotion. He just started to walk off saying, "I'll have the doctors take you to the mansion later on and we'll talk there." He walked off and there she sat in her bed.

_What have I done? _She thought. _I wonder if it'll be worse than here. It will be hell to live with that man no matter what he says. I can't believe I'm doing this._


	3. New Home

New Home

They had a room prepared for her already at Lex's mansion. _Of course he does, pervert. _She thought. She didn't like the agreement that much but it was the only way she could get out of that hell hole. She sat in a chair waiting for Lex, who was going to pick her up, thinking of their agreement.

_Listen, I think there are more of you around us. Everywhere and I want to find them. I want to find you all._ He had whispered in her ear that night. _All you have to do is live with me so that my personal doctors and specialists can take better observations of you. Also I want to keep a good eye on you. I don't trust you being here as much as I would with you living with me. Do it and you won't go through these treatment's. Don't and you will suffer everyday you are here._

She remembered that conversation as if it had just happened a few minutes ago. She didn't want to agree. She had tried to be strong and resist him as much as she could but he was making it a living hell to be there for even a second. She looked down at her hands. They were bruised from all the needles she had had in her. Everywhere they had poked her was still there and she was weaker now since they had exposed her to so much meteor rock.

Something was happening to her and she didn't know what it was. She was half human and she wondered if that half was taking over her. _Maybe that's the reason I'm getting weaker. _She had thought one night after another painful "treatment". She didn't know and didn't care at the moment. She had thought she would die in there but now she wasn't too sure what was going to happen to her.

One of Lex's drivers walked in and looked at her. He walked up to her and grabbed her arm leading her to the car that was outside of the building. They had given her a change of cloths so that no one would wonder about her. She looked like a regular rich young lady. Wearing the latest in fashion, light blue ripped jeans with two shirts, the bottom one was pink and the top one was a light orange. She was wearing glasses to hide the bags under her eyes.

Lex had thought of it all. No one thought of it suspicious when she walked out of there and into the car. The driver didn't speak to her or even look in his rearview mirror to look at her. She didn't care, she just looked out the window and was relieved to be out of that "hospital". Finally the driver turned to look at her at a red light. "Miss, Mr. Luthor asked me to see if you wanted to go and buy a few changes of clothing before we got to the house, that way he wouldn't have to send someone to get something you didn't like."

His voice was deep and kind at the same time. When he took his glasses off to look at her she noticed his eyes and smiled. She nodded. "Yeah, I guess I should." She tried to not look at him and look at the mirror but caught herself glancing over at him from time to time. _Another toy_, she thought. In her head she laughed and on the outside just smiled.

They went to a few boutiques Lex had told the driver to go to since they had "classy" clothing and not cheap stuff. Lara looked around and chose a few outfits and a few sundresses. Once they finished she was taken to the mansion. She didn't want to go in. But she did. She got out of the car and the driver took her things in the house. Lara looked around and Lex greeted her. "How do you like it?"

She looked towards the stairs and there he was. Standing as if he were king of the world. _Jerk off._ She thought. _I'm feeling like crap and don't wanna be in your retarded house._ "It's nice." He walked down and had one of the maids take the bags to her room. "Come, I'll show you where your room is." He lead her and she followed him rolling her eyes at him. _Perv, already has my room. He'll probably have it next to his so he can rape me. You Pig! Filthy Pig! Go to hell!_ She thought and wanted to laugh but didn't. She held it in. Lex lead her to a room in the back of the hall. It was a pretty big room. It had a few monitors like the ones at the "hospital" and she looked at him. "Don't worry, these are just to monitor how you do while your sleeping and during a few moments of the day. You won't have them on all day." He told her.

She looked around, "Where's your room?" He pointed back down the hall. "At the other end." She looked up at him, "Will I be able to go out?" He shook his head and looked back at her. "No, the agreement was that you would stay here. And you will stay here."

She stood up and was about to do something to him but she felt odd. Weak. "That's the drug they gave you before bringing you here. It's finally taking affect. I thought you might have escaped while bringing you here so I had them doses you with something." "You bastard. I hate you!" He looked at her and just smirked. "You and so many others." She sat on the bed and fell back falling asleep. He walked out of the room and called for one of the nurses from the "hospital" to help her.


	4. Memories

Memories

She was still fast asleep in her bed under the covers. The nurse had set up her heart monitor and all the other machines they had there by her bed.

"_Don't you talk to me like that David! David look at me when I'm talking to you!" Her mother was walking across the room as he ignored her and headed for the door. "What do you want me to do Victoria? You've ruined this family. You're the one that broke it all into a million pieces." _

Lara was tossing and turning in bed and her heart monitor started to increase.

_Lara walked down stairs from bed hearing them screaming again. "Mommy…mommy I'm scared…what's happening mommy?" Her mother picked her up at the stairs and walked back to the kitchen where her father was. "It's okay honey, your daddy and I are just talking." _

_Her father was standing at the island looking at her. "But I heard screaming mommy. Are you calling Uncle Jason to take daddy away again?" Her father walked to them and took her from her mother. "No baby, no one is leaving anywhere tonight. Why don't you go back to bed so that me and your mother can finish talking." He kissed her forehead and put her down. Lara nodded and walked towards the stairs but stopped at the top and listened to them._

"_For heaven's sake David, she's only four and yet she understands that every time we fight something happens to you or me." David moved closer to her and gripped onto her arm tightly. "Don't try and include her in this. Leave her out. This is between me and you! I will not feel sorry for you anymore. You don't even care about this family. You're always out with your so called friends. Who are they? Your male masseuse? The driver? Or maybe the pool boy? Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if our neighbor Alex is your 'friend'!" _

"_Don't you dare talk to me that way!" She was about to slap him when he stopped her. "You street whore." He said it so calmly and coldly. As if it were another name. "How dare you? Get out! I don't want to see you anywhere near my daughter!"_

"_Oh no! There is no way in hell I would leave you with my little girl. She's the only reason we're staying together. Marrying you was the biggest mistake I ever made." He walked out and stood outside in the front yard. "David! David! Don't leave me David!" Lara ran to her window and looked down to see what was going to happen. Last week her father drove off and her mother was crying and running into the street after him. _

The nurse looked at her temperature and it was rising. Her forehead was sweating.

"_David! Don't go this time, okay?" He turned to look at her and shook his head. "Vicky you have to change all this shit. I'm tired of coming home and only finding Lara with the maid. If I'm staying you're changing." She nodded, "Fine, fine. I'll change, but just don't go again." _

_He took a few steps back and looked at her. "You will do as I say and nothing else. You do not question you do not add on. You just do." She looked at him as if he were crazy. "Are you kidding me David? I am not one of you goonies that will do everything you want! I am your wife damn it!" _

_He walked closer to her and said in a low voice, Lara could barely hear it because her window was cracked open and could. "Our marriage is done with. You just made a deal with me meaning you are just another one of my people. I don't care what you think." _

_Lara ran to her closet and closed the door locking it. She started to cry harder and no one went to check up on her that night. She fell asleep in her closet crying herself to sleep._

Tears fell from Lara's eyes. She couldn't hold them back even in her sleep.

Lara finally woke up and she had a band aid on her hand from the needle that was put in her. She sat up and there was a plate of breakfast on a small table across the room. She stood up and looked at it. She felt sick. _No way in hell I'm eating this. For all I know it's probably poison._

She got dressed and walked down stairs to find Lex eating at the table. "I thought you would still be asleep." She faked a smile and sat down across from him. "No, I didn't want to sleep too much. I wasn't sure if I'd wake up alive if I kept sleeping." Lex smirked at the remark and looked at his newspaper. "You think your funny don't you."

"No, I just think I'm realistic." She stood up and was about to leave when he said. "You know he's finally dating the girl of his dreams and we both know who that is." She was looking the other way and her mouth opened. Tears filled her eyes and she ran upstairs to her room and slammed the door shut.

Authors Note: This chapter is dedicated to a broken family. Not mine.


	5. Free Faling

Free Falling

Lara was exploring the house for the first time since Lex went out of town for a business meeting. At least that's what he told her. Lara didn't believe anything he said but somehow she was there living with him in his mansion. She was bare foot. She always loved to be bare foot. It helped her feel free. She was wearing one of her sundresses. It was white with a ribbon around the waist that tied into a small bow in the front. It was her favorite dress she had chosen when she went shopping.

She found a stair way to go up and she was curious to see where it lead to. She looked around and saw no one around her. She smiled and bit her lip. She always did that when she was about to do something she knew she shouldn't do. She giggled softly and ran up the stairs. It was about two flights of stairs when she finally reached the top. A door. She opened it and discovered she was on the roof of the mansion.

She walked around smiling for the first time since she had been there. She loved it. There was a clear view of all of Smallville. It was beautiful. She walked around the edge of the roof just looking out into the opening. In her head she started to sing Free Falling by Tom Petty. One of her favorite songs. Every time she heard it she would sing to the top of her lungs to it but now she just sang it in her head.

She stood on the edge of the roof closed her eyes feeling the breeze blow against her soft skin. Her hair was blowing backwards and she felt free in that instant. She felt like a bird. She wanted to spread her wings and soar away from there. But her moment was interrupted. A voice from behind her called her. "Lara….what are you doing there?" She turned around and saw him. Lex, of course it was him, she thought. It had to be him. "I was just exploring your _castle_." She said sarcastically. He walked closer to her and held out a hand. "Don't jump Lara. Come back here. Come over here."

She looked at him as if he were crazy. "Lex I wasn't going to jump. Who do you think I am?" She laughed and jumped to the floor and walked over to him and patted his chest. "Don't worry, I know how much I'm worth to you." He shook his head and watched her as she headed inside.

As soon as Lex went inside too, Lara started to follow him around to bug him. "Can I go out?" "No." "Can I go shopping?" "That's like your first question, no." "Can we do something?" He looked at her, literally astonished that she wanted to include him in doing something with her. "Like?" She shrugged, "I don't know. Anything to keep me entertained. At least at the _hospital_ the made us do stuff to keep us entertained. You're boring Lex. You seriously need to get a life."

He looked at her and cocked an eyebrow. "I do have a life, and that life is business, and now you are a part of that. So if it's boring, get over it, you're stuck in it too." She walked around the living room they were in and shook her head. "I am not that type of a girl. I don't like to be behind locked doors. They scare me." He looked up at her interested in her comment. "Oh really, and why is that?" She shrugged and ran her hand across the piano keys. "I guess I don't feel free when I'm behind a locked door. I mean, duh who would, but I hate feeling trapped and owned." He sat back in his chair and looked at her, "Like I do."

She sat down at the piano and nodded. "Yep, exactly how you make me feel. You catch along fine." She started to play a few keys and he sat up. She started to play Toccata and smiled to herself. That was the first time he had seen her smile for the past six months.

It was a small smile but still. A small curve at the end of her lips was better than nothing. "So I take it you like to play the piano." She looked back at him and nodded, "Yeah, it was the only thing my mother showed me to do as a girl."

"Where are your parents?" Her spine went stiff as he asked about them. "I'd rather not talk about it." "You know I can't find a single file on them." She got up and walked towards him. "Doesn't surprise me." "Why not?" "What am I on 20/20 or something? I feel like I'm being interrogated here." "You kind of are." "Well stop it." "You can't order me to do anything I'm the one in control here." "Please." She walked out of the room and went upstairs to her own bedroom.

She sat down on her bed and planed her escape. '_I'll have to do it when he's out of town again. That way he can't come back so fast. I'll run to him and then we'll run off together. Anywhere.' _She smiled to herself and lay back in bed. As she slept she had another nightmare from her past.

"_No mommy, I'm tired I don't wanna play anymore. Mommy please let me go to bed." Her mother was furious because Lara wasn't learning to play the piano correctly and they had been practicing for a week and a half already for two to three hours a night. "No Lara, the little girls next door can do it and so will you. Now play until you get it right." Her fingers were hurting already. They had started at five and it was already nine. "But mommy I have to go to school tomorrow. Can't we just continue tomorrow?" "I said no Lara now play!" _

_She was seven now, her father came home late and her mother spent all day at the neighbors house with her new "girl pal" or out doing something not including Lara. Lara would either play with one of the maids or do her homework all day at home alone. The house was empty and she always felt lonely but she wouldn't show it. 'We are the warriors Lara, no one can harm us.' Her mother had told her one night after her father left once again. Her mother had been crying and Lara was in her room with her. That was just last week._

_She finally played one part of her lesson correct and her mother finally hugged her, "Good job sweetie." "Now can I go to bed mommy?" "I suppose dear, but I really want you to practice. Okay?" "Okay mommy." She kissed her goodnight and ran upstairs to go to bed. _

_He finally got home and her mother was downstairs when he did. "Where were you tonight?" "Like I have to explain anything to you Victoria. I'm going to bed." "David! I thought we were going to give this a try?" "So did I. What happened?" "Don't you dare point fingers! You know I've tried my hardest to keep this family together." "Who are you fooling? Your daughter?" She heard her father go up the stairs and lock himself in a guest bedroom that he had now made his bedroom. They started sleeping in separate bedrooms for a week, when he came back._


	6. Escape

Escape

She had just finished with her tests again. She was tired of them. Tired of Lex. She was ready to run away like she had planed but he just didn't leave. Until finally on a Thursday afternoon he walked into her room. It had been five weeks since she had moved in. "Lara, I'm going to be headed out of town tomorrow to Metropolis to do some business work. I'll probably be gone all weekend." She felt as if they were a married couple. It disgusted her.

She hated Lex so much, and yet there she was living in his mansion, in his home and his world. About three weeks ago Lex had invited one of his business partners over to dinner. The man had complimented what a wonderful piece of art Lex's new girlfriend was, she didn't correct him. The fact that the man had mentioned something like that didn't bother her, what bothered her was the fact that she didn't correct him.

She sighed sitting on the bed and looked up at him, "And once again I'm left here alone, right Lex?" He looked over at her from the entrance of the doorway, "You knew what you were getting into when I told you about moving out of the hospital to here." She stood up and walked over to him, "But why Lex? Why do you want me to live here with you? It makes no sense! Why do you want to keep me prisoner in your home?" He looked at her and shook his head, "You are the dumbest person in the world if you don't see it." He walked out and she walked out the door, "What do you mean?! Lex! Lex!" She felt frustrated and walked back in her room and slammed the door shut.

That night at around midnight to almost one in the morning Lara started to fix her things. She was just going to change and leave. She set out a pair of Capri pants and a pink tank top. She took a deep breath and lay on her bed. She couldn't sleep. She stared at the ceiling remembering her mother. She was exquisite. Exotic, as her father described her. She was remembering a night at home when her father was sitting in his study looking at the fire. Lara would always curl up in her father's arms when she was a toddler and watch the fire with him. But at that moment she was twelve and she sat on the carpet in front of the fire place. '_You know your mother was the most beautiful person I have ever met. When I saw her it was then I knew that we were going to be together forever.' He snorted. 'Now look at us. We're together we're apart. She just lost the second baby. To hell with that bitch. You're my only girl in this house princess.' He took another sip of his whiskey and the stood up. Lara got up and started to walk out the door when she heard her father throw his glass into the fire and it shattering into pieces._

It was five in the morning and Lara had just gotten one hour of sleep when she heard the helicopter take off. She got up and saw it leave through her window. Lara quickly got dressed before anyone went to her room to check up on her. She opened the window and ran across the backyard. She looked up at the stone wall. It was at least six feet tall. She grabbed onto the branches of bushes that grew on the wall and started to climb. Her hands hurt since some of the branches had thorns but she kept climbing. She didn't let anything hold her back. She reached to the top and sat down. She took a deep breath and stretched when she heard someone talking to someone else heading her way.

She didn't know what to do and was panicking when she fell off the side of the wall to the outside. She quickly stood up and ran off towards town.

After walking for half an hour she finally reached town. She smiled and looked around. Lara kept walking to get to Clarks house faster. She couldn't wait to wrap her arms around him and hold him tight. It had been months since she last held him. She was getting closer. All she had to do was walk down the path and would be there in a few minutes. She couldn't help herself, she started to run. She ran as fast as she could to his house and once she got there she walked up to the door and softly knocked on it.

Clark was up already, sitting on a stool in the kitchen. His parents where out of town at some convention for the day and he was home alone. He looked at the clock, 6:02 am. He wondered who could be knocking on his door at that hour. He got up and walked over to the door and opened it and saw her.

Her eyes became glassy and she jumped at him. Wraping her arms around his neck and she began to cry a little. "Clark! I've missed you so much baby." Clark was in shock to see her and all he could do was place his arms around her. "…Lara…what…how did you get here? Where have you been? What happened?" She let go of him and looked into his eyes. He could always tell when something was wrong, and something was wrong. "Come in." She walked in and sat on the couch. He sat next to her. "Lara, I thought something had happened to you. I looked for two weeks for you. Where did you go?"

She looked down and tears streamed down her cheeks. "…to a bad, bad place." He placed his hand on her back and softly started to rub it. "It's okay, you can tell me." She put her head on his chest and her hands covered her face. "He took me away from you. He forced me to leave. Baby I didn't wanna go but he took me away. And he hurt me so many times." "Who? Who took you away?" She wiped her tears and looked at him, "…Lex."


	7. Wrong home

It was 8 a.m. and Lex was in his car with the driver taking him to a building where he had an appointment with some potential business partners. He opened his laptop and checked on his security cameras. He couldn't see her. Lex quickly took out his cell phone and called the mansion. One of the maids answered, "Luthor residence." "Gina, where is Lara?" "Sir, we haven't seen her all morning. Christopher, the butler, went up to take her breakfast and didn't find her there. We looked all morning and just cannot find her."

Lex felt irritated. "And you didn't think in calling me by any chance?" The maid was silent for a moment and then spoke. "Well sir, we knew that today you had a very important meeting with some very important people and we didn't want to disrupt you. We thought in telling you once you got home." Lex sat in the car and looked out his window to the building where he was supposed to have his meeting in fifteen minutes. "I'll be there soon Gina. Make sure to have a car pick me up." The maid nodded on the other end of the phone then Lex hung up. He got out of the car and went to the front desk secretary and told her, "Tell Mr. Yung that I cannot meet with him this morning. Say a family emergency has come up and I need to be in Smallville. Ask to reschedule for sometime next week."

He went back to the car and told his driver to take him back to the air strip.

Meanwhile, Clark handed Lara a glass of water as she started to calm down. "Lara, why is Lex keeping you captive? And how did you escape?" She took a sip of the water and set it down on the coffee table. "He knows I'm half Kryptonian Clark. And he's been experimenting with me. Trying to figure me out. I think he's using me to get to you." All of a sudden someone knocked on the door and she stood up. "What if that's him? What if he figured out I'm here?"

Clark got up and went to the door to answer it. He knew who it was. It was already 8:30 a.m. He opened the door and it was Lana. When she took a step in she moved up to give him a kiss. "Morning. Are you ready to…?" Lana looked in the house and saw her standing there. Lara was giving her the same exact welcome look, a not so welcoming on. "What the hell Clark?" Lara asked as she walked up to them. "Yes Clark, what the hell is she doing here?" He was standing between both girls and wasn't sure if he should ask Lana to leave and talk to her later or if he should tell Lara that he would be back later. "Ummm…" Was all that came out of his mouth.

"I see." Lara said. "Maybe I shouldn't have come back. She grabbed her bag and walked towards the door to leave. "Lara…" Clark said reaching out for her arm. She pulled it away. "Don't look for me Clark. I see I just interrupted your happy life." She walked out with her arms crossed. Clark called her name again and she just started to super speed off. Lara wasn't sure where she was going. She stopped in the middle of the road. Nothing ahead of her, nothing behind her. _I feel so stupid! God, I should have known that little twit would have gone after her as soon as I left. Son of a bitch! He should have waited for me! Why!? Damn it!_ Lara felt partially humiliated for having acted that way with him. But why didn't he just push her off and said he and Lana were going out. Because he likes to toy with her, she thought. A black car stopped right in front of her and the person to step out of it was, surprise, surprise, Lex.

"I thought I had told you to stay at the house." He was walking toward her and she just looked up at him. "I thought you already knew I'm not good at taking orders that well." He grabbed her by the arm 

and pulled her up. "Owe." She said quietly and rubbed her arm once he let go of it. "You're a bit too rough on me Lex. It's not nice you know. No wonder you don't have any friends." Lex opened the door for her to get in the back seat with him. "I do have friends. Friends in high places that can help me get where I want to go." She threw her bag in and looked at him shaking her head. "No my dear, those are business partners." Lara got in the car and Lex went in after her. "No hassle or anything? What's gotten into you?"

She shrugged and looked out her window. "I don't feel like fighting you anymore. I'm done with it. Do whatever experiments you want on me. Cut me up into tiny little pieces if you want. I just don't give a crap anymore." Lex observed her. Something in her had changed. He knew that she had gone to see him. That was the only place she would run to. But what interested him was not where she had gone but what happened while she was there. "Why the sudden change in mood?" Lara shrugged. She looked like a teenager trying to avoid an argument with an adult by giving the most annoying responses. "Just don't care anymore." Lex decided to drop it for now. Later on he'd have her tell him about it.

When the driver reached the mansion they both got out and Lara ran up to her room. "Don't worry, I don't plan on escaping anytime soon." She said as she was running up the stairs. Lex shook his head and went into his office to look at his e-mails hoping that the Japanese business partners he was going to sign with this morning agreed to postpone the meeting.


	8. He Cares

Lara laid on her bed staring up at the ceiling. The room was all dark. She usually kept a night light on, she knew it was childish but she just hated the dark. She could swear that while she was in her mother's womb she learned to hate the dark. It felt so lonely, and it made her think of life. Ugh, life, the last thing she wanted to think about right now. Especially with the whole Clark thing. She still felt furious at him about not telling her he was with Lana, her worst enemy. Ew! She felt disgusted that she kissed him. He had kissed her lips. How gross.

There was a knock. "Come in." She said. It Lex, of course, the only man that would show up at her doorstep. "I was walking by and I noticed that your room was all dark. I thought you had left again." She sat up and brought her knees up to her chest and shrugged. "No, I have no where to go so yea. Can't leave if I don't have anywhere to go." He walked up to her bed and stood there with his hands in the pockets of his robe. "What happened Lara? Have you not been living a good life here? I give you everything. Why do you want to run away?"

"Because I wanted to go see him, I thought we'd get back together or something." She got up off the bed and walked over to the window, standing by it with her arms crossed. The window was partially open so there was a light breeze going through it. "You and Clark." Lex said as he sat down on the little bench to her vanity. Lara looked down at her bare feet and nodded. "I knew you'd go to him. That's why I didn't tell you about him and Lana."

"So you were hiding this to hurt me? Wow and you wonder why I want to run off so badly." Lara felt frustrated and started to walk towards the door to leave. Lex stood up and grabbed her arm. He turned her so that she would face him. "I didn't keep it to myself for that reason. I wanted you to figure it all out. I wanted you to see that Clark isn't worth all the hassle. Now I need you to get changed into a formal gown for tonight. I am going to have a few business partners over for dinner and you are going to join me."

Lara sat on her bed and crossed her arms. "Can I go shopping? I don't think I have a good one." Lex looked down at her and nodded, "Yea, sure. But I'm going with you because I don't trust that my people can do the simple job of babysitting you." Lara laughed a bit and laid back in bed. Lex started to walk out. "I'll leave you to rest. Tomorrow morning we'll go."

Lara proped herself up on her elbows, "Um Lex, can you turn on the night light?" Lex made a small smile, barely noticeable, and turned it on.

--

Clark was pacing around in the living room wondering what could have happened to her. Lana wasn't too happy with him at the moment but Lara, he felt like he needed to protect her. She was half of his kind, and they had a relationship. He just needed to know that she was ok. Clark thought and the only place he knew she could run to was back to Lex's. What if he had captured her again? He couldn't stand being in there for another minute. Clark super sped off to the Luthor Mansion.

He didn't even bother to knock. He just wanted to know that she was okay. Clark walked through the hallway in the upstairs looking for the room she might be in. Just as he was opening the door to another room Lex walked up to him. "What do you think you are doing here Clark?" Clark closed the door and looked at him. "Where is she? I need to talk to her."

"I don't believe that seeing you is such a good idea. You did this to yourself Clark. She came back to me hurt because you hadn't told her the truth." They stared at each other, Lex had fury in his eyes and Clark was hurt. Two completely opposite men, with the desire to protect one girl. "You know your way out of the house Clark. Leave now."

Clark looked at him and knew that he was right. He knew he had hurt Lara and had no right to be there. He turned and walked away.

Lara had her ear pressed against the door. She had heard everything.


End file.
